It was his 15th straight win and his second straight fight on European soil.

The 27 year old defied the odds to beat Mikhaylenko before a capacity 27 000 home crowd for the Russian at the DIVS Hockey Arena in Ekaterinburg.

Fears that he could falter having last fought competitively in July 2015, turned out to have been unfounded.

The Friday victory means Manyuchi relinquishes his WBC international welterweight title become the silver belt champion. Notable former holders of the title include British boxer Khan who will be paid US$13 million for his showdown with Alvarez in Las Vegas Saturday.

It was the Mikhaylenko’s first defeat in 22 professional fights and that it was delivered at home, before his noisy fans, should have been a bitter pill to swallow.

The judges scored 116-114; 118-110 and 115-113 all in favour of Manyuchi.